Dispersal distances

Young lynx normally leave their mothers in March-April. During the first months the young stay close to their mother’s home range and most of them survive their first spring and summer alone. Almost all young lynx move away from their natal area after a few months. Yearlings can wander quite far distances, often more than 150 km from their natal area. The record is a young male that was marked in Sarek National Park in Sweden. It moved 450 km, measured in a straight line, all the way south to Steinkjer in Norway. Young males move further than females before they establish their own territory. The mortality rate during the phase where the young lynx leave their natal territory and disperse is high; dispersing lynx are often killed due to illegal hunting or traffic.